Thursday, March 21, 2013

Moving from Wolf Cub to Bear Cub

I'm not a fan of the Boy Scouts, but Connor loves them. I have found, however, two things I like about the Boy Scouts. First, current scouts get to vote on whether or not gay people will be allowed to join their troops. I love that we get to vote (change sometimes comes from within!). Second, the humor value of Boy Scouts over the past couple of weeks has been big in this house.

In order to advance from Wolf Cub to Bear Cup, Connor needed to complete a series of assignments on things such as healthy living, flag folding, some feats of physical fitness, and other random things. This led to Connor making meals for the entire family one day, which turned out to be pretty fun. But better than that has been watching Ed try and race through all the requirements he should have been working on with Connor over the past several months. Nightly, I hear Connor and Ed discuss important issues like how to have a positive attitude and who should be called in case of an emergency. Watching Ed do this has been pure entertainment, because it is most definitely not on his top 10 list of ways to have fun.

There are two requirements Ed and Connor have yet to complete - one on picking up trash and one on religion. A few days before the banquet, the troop leader made the decision that if the boys were close, they could get their badge at the banquet, but they would need to complete the requirements later.Let's just say, Ed has remarked that he considers it divine intervention that Connor has that badge in hand without having to discuss God, and has gone so far as to say that perhaps God has not authorized Ed to speak on his behalf. There might be some truth to that.

I'm taking bets on when the big "god talk" will happen.

The night of the banquet, I found one more thing I could like about the Boy Scouts. The entertainment was hilarious. Connor's troop performed the skit "Hi, My name is Joe. I've got a wife, and a dog, and a family and a job at the button factory..." which is something I sing with Helen and Connor regularly, that I learned in my own elementary school music class. The boys performed a fantastic rendition complete with bottoms bopping and giggling. I'm sure Mrs. Danes (my grade school music teacher) would be proud.